Best PAYG deals for your phone Averse to committing to a monthly contract? We explain the options if you prefer to pay as you go
Don’t fancy a monthly contract on your phone? A pay-as-you-go SIM could be the answer. Stuart Andrews reveals the best deals, from just £5 to £35 per month
There are lots of reasons to prefer a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) deal over a monthly contract. If you’re a light user, it may work out cheaper. Or you might simply be uncomfortable about committing to an 18-month or 24-month contract, and prefer the flexibility of being able to switch your deal, month by month. For many people, PAYG makes a lot of sense – but which plan should you pick?
It’s not uncommon to get a PAYG SIM bundled with a new phone, but there are any number of alternative SIMS you can choose instead. These tend to come free from the network provider, or very cheaply from from a local supermarket or newsagent. Once you’ve installed the SIM, you can generally top it up with credit from your phone using vouchers, or from a shop or a cash machine.
What differentiates the various SIMS is how this credit gets used. Most networks have a base tariff, setting out the standard cost of making calls, using data and sending texts, with additional charges for calling premium numbers, using premium text services, retrieving answerphone messages or using your phone abroad. However, you can normally get better value by buying ‘bundles’ of services, whereby you pay a fixed fee for a package of call, data and text allowances.
How much data do you need?
Bundles normally range from £5 to £20; the more you spend, the more calls, texts and data you get. Beyond the £10 mark you’re typically looking at a big chunk of call time (500 minutes or more) and unlimited texts.
If you spend almost all your time connected to a home Wi-fi network then 1GB of mobile data could easily last you a month. However, if you’re a heavy user of social media or make lots of video calls then your usage will go up a lot, and that’s before you stream video or music.
Some networks, including EE, Giffgaff, O2 and Vodafone, also let you use your data allowance for tethering - that is, connecting a laptop or tablet to the internet through your smartphone - which can eat up data very quickly. And once you’ve exhausted your bundle, the cost of data tends to rocket, typically to 5p per MB.
What about speed and network coverage?
A SIM deal that looks like great value on paper isn’t much use if the connection is slow or flaky – and speeds and coverage vary massively from network to network and location to location. The smaller operators normally piggyback on one of the major mobile networks, and every one has a coverage checker, so use this to find out what speeds you can get in your local area. Another good, and entirely independent, option is Rootmetrics’ coverage map ( www.snipca.com/26429, see screenshot above), which helps you pinpoint coverage and speeds wherever you live.
Many providers offer cheap calls to specific destinations, but – for example – the SIM that’s cheapest for calling the US might be expensive for calling Australia, and vice versa. It’s also a good idea to do your homework if you’re planning to take your phone abroad. Within the EU you should be able to use your phone on exactly the same terms as within the UK, although it remains to be seen whether that will still be true after the UK leaves the EU.
Outside the EU, things can be much more expensive. Some networks offer lower charges or free usage in specific territories, or add-ons that can cut the cost. Alternatively, it might make sense to buy a local PAYG SIM rather than roaming on your UK SIM.